challenge – Tiana Feng

Things I Used Up: July 2018

August 21, 2018BeautyLeave a Comment

It’s been a while, but I’ve been so busy with August, I almost forgot about my July post for the things I used up. Luckily, I haven’t been accumulating too many lately as I’ve slowed down the shopping for myself. I think I shop way more for the dog now!

In July I ended up giving away a few products that I thought would benefit the receiver more than I:

Lamella doll eyeliner
Mini Poni Miniso Magic Candy Lip Tint – Raspberry
Benefit 15 hour primer sample
Body Shop Mango Soap
Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Charcoal Mask
Hello Kitty Cherry Blossom Mask
Body Shop Vegetarian Expert Face Mask
L’Oreal Hydra Genius Essence Sample

And Here are the things I used up:

BH HD Brow Pencil – Ebony
Hello Kitty Horse Oil Essence Face Mask
Miniso Jelly Fish Collagen Face Mask

Things I Used Up: April 2018

May 6, 2018Beauty, LifeLeave a Comment

Sorry for the lack of posts this year. Life at 30 seems to just pass by so fast. There’s been a whirlwind of emotions and events. I hope to post more about some of them soon. Meanwhile, keeping up with my resolution use up/trash products, here is my April list.

Things I Used Up:

– Clarins Extra Firming Nuit (sample)
– Real Nature Mask – Goji Berry
– The Solution Firming Face Mask
– Fox Animal Aqua Relax Mask by Xilix
– Shisheido Ibuki Sleeping Mask Mini
– Tony Moly Pikachu Mask Sheet
– Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

Things I Got Rid of:

– Beauties Factory 120 eyeshadow palette (estimated purchase 2006)
– Sephora Christmas (estimated purchase 2006)

I realized that I had some super old palettes that I have been reluctant to get rid of. They have a lot of colours that haven’t panned, but quality-wise formulas have changed since and things I’ve purchased recently are 100% better. There’s sentimental value in these pans as it got me through a lot of fun themed pub nights in university, but now I’ve grown up into appreciating more quality make-up (than just owning a million colours).

There wasn’t much this month besides masks because, to be honest, I bought a bunch of new products. I couldn’t resist all the spring sales!

Going to make more of an effort not to buy too much though. Despite my huge vanity, I’m running out of space! Operation use more stuff shall continue!

The 53 Books I have Read This Year

December 31, 2016December 30, 2016Books1 Comment

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This year, with the help of a eBook Reader and a Library Card, I’ve surpassed my goal to read 52 books (that’s one a week) in 2016.

I read everything cover to cover. Some of them weren’t so great but I always finish a book. In doing so, my mind was opened and I learned a lot about the lives of different people (I have a huge fascination with North Korea now), different ways of viewing the world, laughed and cried.

I love reading and I’ll continue to do so in 2017 (with probably the same goal because it is a realistic gauge of books). Follow my reading adventure on Goodreads @tianafeng

Here is a list of all the books I read starting from the most recent.

This is Happy by Camilla Gibb.
I’m Just A Person by Tig Notaro
Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
Porcelain: A Memoir by Moby
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Such Good Girls: The Journey of the Hidden Child Survivors of the Holocaust by R.D. Rosen
Bloom: navigating life and style by Estée Lalonde
Now I Know More: The Revealing Stories Behind Even More of the World’s Most Interesting Facts by Dan Lewis
Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
Something to food about: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs by Questlove
Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow
A Kim Jong Il Production by Paul Fischer
The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic by Jessica Hopper
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz
Oh Myyy! by George Takei
Open City by Teju Cole
Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad
The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
QR Codes Kill Kittens by Scott Stratten
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan W Watts
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan
The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory by John Seabrook
The Dogs I Have Kissed by Trista Mateer
Social: Why Our Brains are Wired to Connect by Matthew D Lieberman
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam
Nowhere With You: The East Coast Anthems of Joel Plaskett, The Emergency and Thrush Hermit by Josh O’Kane
The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight
Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling by H. Edgar Schein
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
The Crossing by Michael Connelly
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nicholas Nassim Taleb
This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan
Mo’ Meta Blues by Questlove
Between the World and Me by Ta-neshi Coates
Thinking in Numbers: On Life, Love Meaning and Math by Daniel Tammet
The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan
So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
The Ravenous Brain by Daniel Bor
Don’t Go Back to School: A Handbook for Learning Anything by Kio Stark
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
The Door by Magda Szabo
Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman
People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jenn Mann
Do Cool Sh*t by Miki Agrawal

Let me know what books I should check out in 2017. I’m up for anything!

How Do You Unwind?

February 2, 2016February 21, 2016Inspiration, Lego/Building, Life3 Comments

DSCF7091 — Beautiful colouring book set I got for Christmas

When you need to unwind after a stressful day, how do you do it? Some run to Netflix, which works sometimes. Other times I have to feel like I am doing something productive so I like to colour (though depending on the complexity of the thing it can cause anxiety), or build things with instructions like lego. My favourite is reading fiction. It takes my mind away to an imaginary place, someone else’s story. I’m now 7 books into my 2016 Reading Challenge, which is 2 books ahead of schedule to read 52 books!

One Month of Drawing

March 31, 201530 Day Challenge, Art, LifeLeave a Comment

I did it. I sketched 31 things in 31 days, doing sketches daily (for the most part) during March as part of Articulations Filler Up sketchbook challenge. While not all of the drawings were particularly great it taught me many things:

Not to be so self-critical. The reason I used to not draw much was because often I would trash everything I started because I didn’t like it. I also erased often leading to many unfinished works. Having to finish many in a short time left me less time to be critical
You can make art with anything. Living the example of my grandfather who made art on literally anything I also didn’t limit myself. Some days I drew with fancy pencils, other days ball-poit pens or lead pencils
Making time. My excuse for not drawing (or any other thing for that matter) was that I didn’t have enough time. Time is always available if I make an effort to try to set some aside.
Ideas come from anything. Don’t know what do draw? Draw the glass you are drinking out of, the beer you’re drinking. Literally anything is a subject.

Pages From My Sketchbook Pt. 3

March 25, 201530 Day Challenge, ArtLeave a Comment

We’re nearing the end of March and I have some catch up to do in terms of filling up my sketchbook in time for the challenge but here are a few more random pages:

Page From My Sketchbook Pt. 2

March 17, 201530 Day Challenge, Art, Crafts/DIY, LifeLeave a Comment

I’ve been busy this month but I’ve been keeping up with my Sketchbook challenge this month! I plan to have 31 drawings in my book by the time the month is over. Here are a few of my favourites since the last post:

2015 Filler Up Sketchbook Challenge

February 20, 201530 Day Challenge, Art, Life3 Comments

As you know, I really wanted to find time to “do more art” this year. I even bought new sketchbooks. However, this still hasn’t resulted in much drawing as of yet. “Busy” seems to always be the excuse. But I’ve been a good kind of busy.

Anyways, today I saw my friend post this Sketchbook Challenge by the Earl Selkirk Gallery in Toronto. The challenge is to encourage people to draw for the month of March and have their sketchbooks on display in April. The registration fee was only $5 so I jumped on the chance.

I think this will be a nice push towards the goal. It’s interesting how something offline could be a bigger motivator than proving I can do this to my online audience. I will try very hard to provide at least 31 sketches by the time March is over and see the effect drawing has on my life!

Things I Learned From Being Just Mobile

June 2, 2012iOS, Life, TechnologyLeave a Comment

My period of computerlessness only lasted for mere few days. I didn’t expect Dell to ship my laptop back so quick and in tip top shape. I survived the past few days with my iPad and iPhone and blogged occasionally from work when it wasn’t too busy. I was surprised how efficient I was at music blogging when I had a limited time frame to do it.
In addition I also realized the following:
– I had to cut my nails so I could type on a screen
– I don’t have anything that can read SD cards
– texting has made me a better typer on my phone than my iPad
– I alwaysforget to hit space onthe iPad
– Google + is actually really pretty
– nights seem darker without a laptop’s eerie glow

Rotis and Gelato Mochaccino

April 18, 2012April 2, 2013Food, Life, Restaurant Reviews3 Comments

As I previously mentioned, I want to eat at least 25 new things this year. I wasn’t sure about how to go about it, but then I realized Toronto is full of culturally unique restaurants that are worth the visit. So instead of opting for burgers and poutine all the time, I will venture into the unknown.

Yesterday, I tried out Bacchus Roti Shop located in the Parkdale area downtown Toronto. A roti is a type of south-asian wrap but it also consumed in areas such as the Southern Caribbean and Guyana. I ordered the jerk chicken roti which also contained spinach and squash. At $12.50, it was deliciously filling with a fiery kick to it. Nash ordered the shrimp roti with spinach and cheese. It had a nice creamy texture to it.

After dinner, we had a ton of time to kill before door times for a concert. Instead of searching for the nearest Second Cup we decided to try one of the local coffee shops. We ended up in The Boreal Gelato Company. I ordered a mochaccino and they made it with a scoop of chocolate gelato! It was had a lovely aroma and chocolate taste. We also got a hazelnut gelato that was to die for. It was like Ferrero Rocher (my favourite chocolate by the way) in ice cream form!